4 MATER/A MEDIC A AND THERAPEUTICS. 



faith, nor remains a correct representation of profes- 

 sional opinion for any great length of time. It is, 

 however, an invaluable medium of communication 

 between the physician and the pharmaceutical chemist, 

 whom it furnishes with formulae for a great variety 

 of preparations of definite composition, and an im- 

 mense amount of information respecting drugs which 

 is necessary in combining these, or in devising fresh 

 preparations. 



Plan of the Materia Medica. In the Pharma- 

 copeia the materise medicae and their preparations 

 are arranged alphabetically for convenience of refer- 

 ence, but in a systematic treatise they must be dis- 

 cussed in natural order. 



The following plan will be adopted in these 

 pages : 



PART I. THE INORGANIC MATERIA MEDICA. 



Group 1. Alkalies and Alkaline Earths. 

 2. Metals. 

 3. Metalloids. 

 4. Acids. 

 5. Water. 

 6. Carbohydrates and other Carbon Compounds. 



PART II. THE ORGANIC MATERIA MEDICA. 



Group 1. The Vegetable Kingdom. 

 2. The Animal Kingdom. 



Each article will be discussed under several distinct 

 and definite headings, which are as follows : The 

 names of the drug, in Latin and in English, its chemical 

 formula, if any, and the definition of its nature ; its 

 source ; its characters ; its composition ; its doses ; 

 and the preparations made from it. 



A genera] reference must here be made to each of 

 these headings. 



Names, nature, and sources of drugs. These 

 are sufficiently indicated by the above plan in the case 



